4A Public Hearing 2014 0902 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Unapproved Excerpts from the Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes .Tune 19, 2014 Page 6 of 7 Motion to close public hearing Hernande7/Leichner: 6 Aye, 0 No (I Absent) Lieutenant Sobek clarified the data from the Police [that Mr. Tepper referenced in his memo to Planning Commission and his presentation] by noting the data was actually "incident data" not a true "crime analysis." The data reflects incidents reported and they are not all actually crimes committed. Lieutenant Sobek also noted that the last 4 months of incident statistics for District 4 showed the lowest crime rates of all Council districts. He added that areas with less activity can result in more crime, therefore any active security is effective. Helpful security measures he cited were Neighborhood Watch, cameras, alarms and security guards. Commissioner Rennie said he understands the residents fears and concerns, and wants to help alleviate them, but they have posed a "big ask," not only because gating is contrary to the General Plan, which represents the City's Constitution, but also because it would limit Bay trail access as the gates would represent a physical barrier. He questioned whether other crime deterrent measures have been tried comprehensively enough, including cameras, security patrols and a very active Neighborhood Watch program. He said he thought the security guard stationed at the Bayfront Drive entrance was there counting vehicles rather than providing guard service. Commissioner Hernandez also suggested that active patrolling would be more effective than stationary guards. He noted too that an appeal might lead to greater costs for the applicant. Commissioner Rennie reiterated that the Planning Commission wants to help address the situation, but the City's General Plan policy on gated communities, as well as neighborhood interconnectivity and public Bay Trail access are big hurdles to overcome. Chair Abero, indicating that there had been a homicide only four doors away from her home in the past, said security cameras can be very effective and are not nearly as invasive as gating would be. She also considers an active Neighborhood Watch an effective tool. She asked the audience in the Council Chambers how many of them serve as Neighborhood Watch Block Captains. [One hand in the audience was raised in response.] Chair Abero also indicated that she wouldn't want Heron Bay to be isolated from the rest of the City because gating fragments neighborhoods, erodes the sense of community and discourages civic participation. Commissioner Hernandez suggested that neighborhoods also could become involved in "Nextdoor," [an online community social network]. Further, he noted that an upcoming Safety fair by the San Leandro Police Department would highlight additional safety measures for the community. He added that the community has private streets because of the density desired by the developer and they did not meet the minimum street widths of public streets. Therefore, he concluded that it is the responsibility of the HOA to provide for the immediate safety of its community and that it has failed its residents. From his observations on a previous site visit, Commissioner Hernandez noted there was one guard stationed at the main entrance and more active patrols throughout the community may be of greater benefit. Finally, given that there is no longer parking access on the main PAE to the trail, he commented that there is less of an opportunity to deter criminal activity due to the lack of foot traffic from visitors during the day. Because Commissioner Fitzsimons was unable to attend the meeting, he sent an email expressing his views that Secretary Liao read into the record as follows: